(Reuters) – Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said he never lost faith in his talented young players and that it was important they be given time to adapt to the Premier League after his side picked up their second win of the season by beating Fulham 2-0 on Monday.
Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who cost an initial 70 million euros ($75.78 million) in transfer fees in January, scored his first goal for the club, with striker Armando Broja also netting for the first time since his return from a serious knee injury.
“We need to understand that young people need time and need to settle. It’s about adaptation,” Pochettino said.
“It’s a big change when Mudryk arrived here, and when you arrive at a team, it’s not easy to settle in a team that isn’t solid.
“It’s about time, having patience, trusting these young talented players, building confidence. It’s a big job, step by step.”
Mudryk was withdrawn at half-time on Monday and Pochettino said he hoped the 22-year-old would be available for Saturday’s game against promoted Burnley.
Chelsea are 11th in the table after taking only eight points from seven matches but Pochettino said they never pressed the panic button when results were not going their way.
“Sometimes people don’t have the patience but for us it’s about having the patience,” he added. “Even when we weren’t winning, we were calm, stayed positive, had the belief.”
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
